A 35-year-old man has been put on probation for six months after a vendetta with his neighbours ended up with him being arrested.

Alistair James Caley was restrained with Pava spray, and in court he admitted provoking behaviour and resisting arrest.

He initially denied the resisting arrest offence but then changed his plea at the pre-trial review stage.

Prosecuting advocate Kathryn Johnson said that there had been ill feelings between Caley and his neighbour previously, but an incident occurred on March 4, while he was living in Peel.

The neighbour said that she had arrived home with her six-year-old child and saw a pile of smashed glass by her back door and on the child’s slide.

She said that she believed it had been left by Caley.

The woman said she was smoking outside when she saw him returning home, so she went into her own house and locked the door.

She said she then saw Caley coming into her garden and shouting that he was going to ‘smash the f****** window.’

He was then said to have looked through the window at her child and shouted: ‘Oi, d*******, tell your parents to stop what they’re doing now.’

Caley then left but closed the gate with such force that it came off its hinges.

Police were called and as they arrested him the following day, he tensed up, pulling his arms up, and was described as physically aggressive, which prompted Pava spray to be used.

When interviewed, he answered ‘no comment’ to questions, but blamed his neighbour for causing issues.

Defence advocate Peter Taylor said that Caley, who now lives at Ayre View in Bride, had had a long struggle with his mental health.

Mr Taylor confirmed that there had been ill will between the neighbours, but said that the defendant accepted that ‘two wrongs don’t make a right’.

The advocate said that Caley had been very emotional because it was his father’s funeral the following day.

‘As soon as he saw the video footage he was remorseful,’ said Mr Taylor.

‘It was just an outburst in a moment when his mental health was perhaps in the balance.’

The advocate said that Caley had spent six nights in custody after his arrest, as he hadn’t been able to return to his address, or get an alternative bail address.

Mr Taylor said that the arrest had not been made until the following day and had come just after his client had returned from his father’s funeral.

He said it had then taken three months to get police body-worn video footage of Caley’s arrest, but as soon as it had been seen, it was obvious that he had resisted.

‘Rehabilitation is clearly the key to this. He needs to continue to receive help from mental health services and probation,’ said the advocate.

As he was sentenced, Caley said: ‘They’ve been bullying me for five years.’

Magistrates also ordered him to pay £300 prosecution costs, which he agreed to pay within two months.